Iran blames US, Israel over ceasefire violations; talks reported halted

2026-06-01

Iran warns US, Israel on responsibility

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi posted on social media on the 1st that the United States and Israel would be responsible for 'any consequences of ceasefire violations.' Growing anger over continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon's pro-Iran group Hezbollah prompted an Iranian news agency to report that talks between the United States and Iran had been suspended.

Uncertainty clouds US-Iran talks

Tasnim news, which is close to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, reported on the 1st that Iran's negotiating team had stopped talks with the United States through intermediaries and the exchange of documents. It also said a US-Iran ceasefire would not hold unless a ceasefire was achieved on all fronts, including Lebanon.

Israel and Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire in mid-April, but fighting has not subsided. If this continues, the US-Iran talks themselves could end in collapse.

Trump insists talks are continuing

US President Donald Trump on the 1st sought to dismiss reports that talks had been halted. He posted on social media that 'talks are continuing at a rapid pace' and claimed that after speaking by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he had recalled troops sent toward Beirut, the Lebanese capital.

He also said he had held telephone talks with Hezbollah through intermediaries and that both sides had agreed to stop attacking each other. Hezbollah is designated by the United States as a terrorist organization, and according to Reuters, dialogue between a US president and Hezbollah would be unprecedented.

Trump has repeatedly said Iran is in a difficult position and will eventually accept US demands. On the 1st as well, he told CNBC that he would 'not care' if negotiations fell apart. Still, he has not been able to break Iran's hardline stance over the nuclear issue and the Strait of Hormuz, leaving the talks in an unstable state.

Netanyahu said on social media on the 1st that he had spoken with Trump, and added that Israel would not change its plan to attack Beirut unless Hezbollah stopped its attacks. He also stressed that Israel would 'continue military operations' in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces are stationed.

US news site Axios reported on May 30 that Trump had sought revisions to a draft deal aimed at ending the fighting with Iran so that it would specifically include the disposal of highly enriched uranium. Tasnim also reported on the 31st that the Iranian side was expected to make revisions to the proposal.

According to Tasnim, Iran believes that in addition to a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, fighting could intensify at the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the exit to the Red Sea. The Strait of Hormuz is effectively under Iranian control, while the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has supported global crude oil supplies as a diversion route for tankers and other vessels. Iran appears ready to further increase pressure.

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